The Weekend
by Broadwaylover5300
Summary: Hairspray fic. Link deals with personal problems and discovers things about himself while spending the weekend with an old friend.
1. The Job

**Hi! This is another story I'm starting, but I thought there's just two things I should say before I start:**

**This story****is very much inspired by the great 1992 movie Scent of a Woman. I thought I should just say that I don't own this movie.**

**This story is not a sequel to Turbulence, although it may seem so for a while.**

Link needed money.

He had been attending a prep school in northern Maine, and he was having trouble

with getting enough money to pay his way his way through school. Although he was able, with enough work, to pay his way eventually, that didn't leave him much money for anything else. Unfortunately, he needed more money to be able to return home to Baltimore for the Christmas holiday, and he needed another job to be able to raise enough money, and he wasn't really having that much luck finding one. Link was growing desperate.

This wasn't the only problem that Link had on his hands, however. A couple of weeks before, Link and another friend of his, Bruce Hamilton, had seen three of the other guys, Jim Thomson, Tom Peters, and Victor Jameson, vandalize the administrative building of the school, spraying graffiti all over one side of the building. The dean had somehow found out that he and Bruce had seen who had done it and he had called them both into his office, one at a time.

After Bruce had left and Link came in, dean Walters said, "Do you know who desecrated this fine building?"

Link nodded, and the dean said, "Who did it?"

"I can't say, sir," Link replied quietly.

"You did say you saw who did it, right?" the dean asked.

Link nodded again.

"Well, then, why don't you tell me?"

"Because I'm not a snitch, sir," Link said.

The dean looked like he was going to smack Link in the face for a second, and Link got very scared for a second. However, the dean calmed down and said, "I'll tell you what, Mr. Larkin. What if I could guarantee you admission to Harvard if you told me who did it? Would you like that?"

Link said, "Not if it means I have to be a snitch."

Suddenly, the dean got very angry and said, "I strongly suggest that you reconsider your decision, Mr. Larkin. I'll give you this coming Thanksgiving weekend to think things over. This Monday, the disciplinary hearing will take place. You will be required, along with Mr. Hamilton, to testify."

Later that night, Link was sitting in his dorm thinking things over when the phone rang. He picked it up to hear an unfamiliar female voice on the other end of the line. "Link Larkin?"

"This is he. Who is this?" Link asked.

"This is Sylvia Collins, Corny Collins' sister," the voice replied.

Link was filled with curiosity. Why would Corny's sister be calling him? "Is there something wrong?" Link asked.

"No, I just wanted to ask you something. You know that Corny's returned home from Vietnam, right?"

Link did know that Corny had returned home a couple of years ago. "Yes, I do," Link responded, still confused as to why Corny's sister would be calling him.

"Well, you see, he went blind in Vietnam, and he can't live by himself. He's been living with me and my family here in Baltimore ever since. Anyway, my family is going to be leaving on a trip this weekend for Thanksgiving, and we can't take Corny with us. Corny told us that you're in prep school, and I figured that you might need some extra money. Would you mind coming down here and taking care of Corny for the weekend? I'd pay you a hundred dollars a day and be happy to pay your way down here and back, as well."

Link thought about it for a second. It was desperately needed money, and maybe babysitting a blind man would give him some quiet time to think over what he was going to do on Monday. He said, "Sure, I'll do it."

Three days later, Link pulled up in front of the address that Corny's sister had given him. He looked at the house. It was very modest, but it was very nice at the same time, a very tasteful house.

Link walked up to the front door and knocked on it. A voice from inside, a voice that sounded like Corny's, but was gruffer than Link remembered it being, said, "The door's open!"

Link opened the door and walked inside, shutting the door behind him. The voice called from a room in the back, saying, "Back here!"

Link walked into a small living room, very tastefully designed. In front of a bay window sat a chair, and in the chair, back lit by the sun, sat a figure, a figure that Link knew must be Corny.

"Corny, it's me, Link-" Link began.

"Ah, hell, I know it's you," Corny replied gruffly.

"How did you know?" Link asked.

"I know how you smell. You smell the exact same as you did when you were on the show," Corny replied.

"Well, I'm here to-"Link began, only to have Corny cut him off with, "I know why you're here. You're here because my damn sister thinks I can't take care of myself and thinks I need a damn babysitter. You're also here because you need money, aren't you? Come on, admit it, Link."

Link was surprised. This was not the Corny he remembered. This was a man who was hardened by life, a man who had been around the block more than once and was disenchanted by the journey. Link decided not to answer Corny's question and said, "Why don't we get you some lunch?"

Corny nodded and said, "Fine with me."

Link took Corny's arm and helped Corny out of his chair. He started to escort him to the kitchen when Corny said, "Are you blind?"

"What?" Link asked, surprised by the question.

"I said, are you blind?"

"No," Link replied.

"Then get your hand off my arm!" Corny said. "I know where I'm going."

Link took his hand off of Corny's arm and followed him into the kitchen, where Corny entered and sat down at the table. "Make me a BLT, please," Corny said.

Link quickly made a BLT for Corny and a ham sandwich for himself. As they sat there eating, Corny said, "I want to go to New York."

"What?" Link said, not sure he understood Corny correctly.

"I want to go to New York. I've never been there. Just because my family's gone doesn't mean that I can't go anywhere. Let's go to New York."

**Please review and tell me what you think so far!**


	2. The Arrival

The rest of that afternoon was a blur. The next thing Link knew, he and Corny were on a flight on their way to New York City. Corny had paid for the tickets. Apparently, Corny had been saving up for this trip for quite some time and was able to pay for it all.

Link had seen the plane ride as a time to relax and think about what he would do at the disciplinary hearing on Monday, but relaxation wasn't in the cards for this plane trip, largely thanks to Corny. Becoming blind hadn't dampened his taste for women, food, or talking one bit. Corny spent the whole trip harassing the stewardesses, ordering snacks and eating them, and asking Link question after question after question.

"What's prep school like?"

"How're your parents?"

"What kind of car do you have?"

"What're your friends like?"

Link asked every question with a simple answer, usually about one or two words, until Corny asked, "You're kind of anti-social, aren't you?"

Link knew that he couldn't answer that question in the same way that he had answered Corny's other questions, so he said, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Really? Like what?" Corny asked.

Link told Corny about everything that was going on up at the school, and Corny said, "Wow. That's tough. What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure yet," Link answered.

"Oh," Corny said, and didn't say another word to Link for the rest of the flight.

When they arrived and got their bags (Corny had a heated argument with a baggage attendant over a bag that Corny claimed wasn't his and the attendant was adamant was the correct bag, Corny turned out to be right), Link and Corny walked out of the airport. Link was about to hail a cab when Corny said, "Why did we leave the airport? I know we're not there because I can't hear as many voices anymore. You passed the rental car booth."

Link was surprised at what Corny was saying. "What do you mean? We don't have to rent a car. This is New York. This is one of the best public transit systems in the world."

"I don't want to sit on some stupid taxi or bus with some crazy driver that's probably so drunk he can't even see the road. I want a rental car."

After a little more arguing, Link eventually complied and he and Corny walked back into the airport and up to the rental car booth.

After looking through the list of cars available, Link said, "How about a Ford-"

"Do they have a Ferrari?" Corny cut him off.

"What?" Link asked, surprised.

"Do they have a Ferrari?" Corny asked again.

Link looked at the list. "Yes, they do, but it's the most expensive car on the list-"

"I want it," Corny cut Link off again.

"But it's the most expensive car on the list!" Link exclaimed.

"I don't care. That's what I want."

Eventually, Corny talked Link into getting the car. Corny then said, "Ask for directions to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel."

"What?!" Link exclaimed. "That's the fanciest hotel in the city!"

"You're worried about the price again, aren't you?" Corny asked with a grin on his face.

"Well, yes," Link replied.

"I already told you, I'll pay for everything. Now ask," Corny said.

After getting directions, Link and Corny got in the car and drove to the Waldorf. They got out of the car and walked into the lobby. It was beautiful, with polished marble floors and pillars, gold-plated desktops, and beautiful rugs across the large floor.

"Walk me to the front desk," Corny said. Link did so.

When they got to the front desk, they stood there for a while, waiting for service. When somebody finally noticed them, he walked over to them. He was a very snooty man, with a very snobby atmosphere around him.

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked in a snobby voice.

"Yes, you can," Corny answered. "We'd like two of your finest suites, please."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do that-" the clerk's voice choked off as Corny plunked a large wad of money down on the counter.

"You were saying…?" Corny said.

"Right away, sir! Bellhop!" the clerk called.

A bellhop came up and took Corny and Link's luggage. The clerk gave Link the keys to the two rooms, which were right next to each other, and the bellhop escorted them upstairs.

After Link helped Corny get settled in his room, he helped Corny into a chair. Corny sighed as he sat down.

"If I were you, Link, I'd get to my room and I'd dress nice. We're going to have fun tonight," Corny said.

**This chapter is short, I know, and I'm sorry about that, but I didn't want to put too much into one chapter!**

**Please review!**


	3. The Oak Room

**Well, I'm kind of sad about the lack of reviews for the last chapter. If nobody's reading this story, then there's really no point in finishing it.**

**If you are reading it, please review and let me know!**

**P.S. There are a couple of segments of dialogue in this chapter that are heavily inspired by the movie Scent of a Woman. As I said before, I don't own this movie.**

Later that night, Link and Corny entered the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel.

"I still don't know why you wanted to come here so badly, Corny. This is the most expensive restaurant in the city," Link said.

"Link, if you moan one more time about the price of anything, I'm gonna punch you in the face," Corny replied. "To answer your question, the reason that I wanted to come here is because this is supposed to be the best restaurant in the city, and since this is the only time I'm ever going to be in New York City, I figure we might as well do things right. Now find us a table."

After being seated by the maitre d', Corny opened his menu and said, "I'd like a prime rib, Link. How much is it?"

Link looked at the menu and said, "Forty dollars."

"Forty dollars for a prime rib? Holy shit! How much is a cheeseburger?"

"Twenty-five dollars," Link replied after looking at the menu again.

"Oh, well. I'll have a cheeseburger, then," Corny said.

"All right," Link said as he read over the menu himself. Finding the cheeseburger to be the least expensive thing on the menu, he ordered the cheeseburger also, and he placed the two orders with the waiter who was standing over them.

"Anything to drink?" the waiter asked.

Link was trying to decide what to drink when he heard Corny say, "Dom Perignon, please."

The waiter quickly jotted it down and walked away. Link looked at the menu and said, "Corny, that's a sixty-dollar bottle of wine."

"Link, how many chances do I have to drink Dom Perignon in my life? Let me, even if it's just this once."

Link quickly shut his mouth, and when the wine arrived, Corny said, "Pour me a glass, Link, and fill it to the top."

After taking a drink, Corny asked, "Link, do you think, if I died right now, anybody would really care? I mean, if I took out a gun right now, shoved it in my mouth and pulled the trigger, do you think anybody would care?"

Link, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going and trying to make a joke of it, said, "I'm sure the restaurant staff would be pretty annoyed."

"Link, I'm not joking. Do you think that, if I died right now, that anybody would attend the funeral?"

"Oh, I'm sure some would," Link replied, still uncomfortable.

"I mean, why would anybody care? I mean, all I am is a former host of a local dance show, a discharged Army Lieutenant Colonel, an old veteran who came home from the war blind and not able to do anything for himself. I've got no reason to go on living."

"Don't say that, Corny. Plenty of people care about you," Link said.

Corny didn't say anything for most of the meal, until he said, "Link, let me tell you what else I intend to do this weekend, at least, what I have planned. Tonight, after we're done eating, I want to just go back to the hotel. I want to get some rest. Tomorrow, we're going to go for a drive. Tomorrow night, you're going to take me to a ballroom, where I want to tango with a beautiful woman and, because I don't want to get too graphic in a nice restaurant like this, I'll just say I want to spend the night with her. Sunday morning, you're gonna go home and take care of that situation at your school that you told me about. I'm gonna take a gun and blow my brains out."

Link said, "Did I hear you right, Corny? Did you just say that you're going to kill yourself?"

"No, I said I'm going to blow my brains out," Corny replied.

"No, you're not!" Link exclaimed. "Why would you even want to do that, Corny? You've got a family! You've got friends! There's Amber! There are so many people that care about you! You'll hurt all of them if you commit suicide! Promise me! Promise me that you will not kill yourself!"

Corny stayed silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, I won't." Corny stayed quiet for a little while, then said, "Family. You mentioned them. Can't believe they're my relatives. They've got the I.Q. of rocks and the manners of tramps. He's a mechanic, she's a homemaker. He knows as much about cars as a beauty queen and she bakes cookies that taste like plastic. Their kids, they're idiots too. And Amber, she never comes around anymore. I think she's embarrassed to be seen with me."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true," Link said.

"Then you explain why she never comes around! Don't just say that she's busy, I know that nobody's that busy!" Corny said.

Corny and Link didn't say anything for the rest of the meal.

Later that night after they had returned to the Waldorf-Astoria, Link entered Corny's room, escorting Corny to his bed. Link asked, "Corny, do you have a gun with you?"

"Yeah," Corny replied, beckoning toward his nightstand drawer. "It's in there."

Link opened the drawer and saw a .44 Magnum sitting there, with a box of bullets sitting next to it. Link picked up the bullets and said, "Are these all the bullets?"

Corny nodded. "Yes."

"I'll take these, all right?"

Corny shrugged. "Fine with me."

"All right," Link replied as he took the bullets and started to leave the room. He turned around for a second and said, "Good night, Corny."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, get outta here," was Corny's reply.

Link turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

**As I said earlier, please review and let me know whether you're reading or not!****BTW, got anything you want to say to me? I've just added my e-mail to my ****profile,**** feel free to drop me a line anytime!**


	4. The Dance

**Hi! Well, I'm glad to know that at least one person is reading this story, so that's reason enough for me to continue it!**

**Note: I've changed the rating of the story, mostly for the last****chapter.**

Corny had given Link the gun, but Link was still worried.

Corny had been very serious about killing himself; in fact, Link had never seen Corny more serious in his whole life. He had talked with Link about it openly and candidly, and that scared Link more than anything else, for some reason. He was concerned, but Link did take solace in knowing that he had the bullets, so Corny at least couldn't shoot himself.

The next morning, Link entered Corny's room with Corny's breakfast, eggs and a cup of coffee. As Corny began to eat, he said, "Ready to go out for our drive?"

"Sure," Link replied. Link truly was looking forward to the drive; it would give him some time to think things over.

"Okay. As soon as I'm done eating here, we'll go out," Corny said.

After Corny was done, he and Link walked down to the parking garage in which their Ferrari was parked. Link started to get in the driver's seat, but Corny said, "You're getting in on the wrong side."

"No, I'm not, this is the driver's side," Link replied.

"That's what I mean. I'm driving."

"No, you're not!" Link blurted out. "You're blind, Corny! There's no way you can drive!"

"Sure, there is, as long as you keep your eyes open and tell me what's going on. What did you think, I was gonna let you drive? Come on, get out of my way."

Link just stood in front of the door for a few seconds, until Corny said, "Link, you'd better move now, or I'm gonna shove you into that wall that's right behind you."

Link reluctantly complied, and Corny slid into the driver's seat. Link started to close the door for Corny, but Corny snapped, "Get your hand off that door! There's still some things I can do for myself, you know." And then, mumbling about how he was tired of everybody treating him like a baby, Corny reached over and closed the door. Link walked around the car and got into the passenger side.

"All right, Link. Give me the keys," Corny said.

Link reluctantly handed them over, and without any help from Link, Corny stuck the keys in the ignition and fired up the car. Corny grinned. "See, Link, I don't entirely need your help. Now, let's get out of here."

With that, Corny floored the accelerator and sped out of the parking garage.

Later in the afternoon, Corny and Link returned to the hotel. Link was flustered. The drive had been harrowing. Corny had had several near-accidents and never let up on the gas the whole time they had been out. However, it had been fun at the same time, in a roller-coaster ride sort of way.

Corny leapt out of the car, whooping and hollering. "Wow! That was fun, don't you think, Link?" Corny asked.

Still trying to catch his breath, all Link could manage to get out was a very hurried "Uh, huh."

"Yeah, it was fun. Now, though, we gotta go upstairs and get ready for tonight," Corny said, still full of energy from the drive.

Link racked his mind, trying to think of what Corny meant. Get ready for tonight? "What do you mean, 'get ready for tonight,' Corny?" Link asked.

"What do you mean, what do I mean? I mean the fact that you're going to take me to the ballroom tonight, or don't you remember?"

Link suddenly did remember. "Oh, yes. Corny, I'm not sure I'm really up to that tonight-"

"Link, if we don't do it tonight, it's going to throw my whole schedule out of whack. Come on, help me back upstairs. We haven't got much time left to get ready."

Later that night, Link and Corny pulled up in front of the Hammerstein Ballroom, the most famous ballroom in New York City. As Corny stepped out of the car, he said, "Ah, Link, smell that? That's the smell of the good life, my friend. Fine food, fine wine, perfume. It's beckoning to us. Come on, Link, take me in."

Together, they walked into the beautiful ballroom. The walls were green, with beautiful gold designs painted on them. The ceiling was a gleaming white, with several chandeliers hanging down from it. Tables lined the edge of the round, polished, hardwood dance floor. The tables were a beautiful cherry oak, each one covered with a white tablecloth, wine glasses, and sparking silverware.

"Let's eat, Link," Corny said.

After sitting down at a table and eating fine beef, vegetables, and a delicious dessert that Link didn't know the name of, and drinking down several glasses of wine, Corny wiped his mouth, put his silverware down, and said, "Okay, Link, find me a lady."

"What?" Link asked.

"I said, find me a lovely lady. I want to dance."

This was not something that Link particularly wanted to do, and he tried to get out of it by saying, "But what if I don't pick the right kind of girl?"

"I trust your judgment," Corny said. "Now, go find me a girl."

After a little more coaxing from Corny, Link finally got up and walked through the ballroom, looking for a woman that he felt Corny might like. He found one in a young lady, probably in her mid-twenties, who seemed to be at the ballroom all by herself. She had corn silk blonde hair, carefully curled and styled to perfection. She had just the right amount of makeup on, obviously applied with care. She had a beautiful white silk dress on.

Link walked up to her and said, kind of nervously, "Excuse me?"

The woman noticed Link and looked at him. "Yes?" She had a beautiful, soft voice.

"Uh, sorry to bother you, but do you see that guy over there?" Link asked as he gestured at Corny, who was sitting back at the table, pouring himself another glass of wine.

The woman nodded. "Yes. What about him?"

"Well, he'd like to dance with you," Link said.

"Well, why didn't he ask me himself?" the woman asked.

"Well, you see…he's blind, and actually, he asked me to find a woman that I think that he might like to dance with, and I think that he would like you," Link said, immediately after which, he criticized himself for saying that out loud.

The woman laughed. "Well, I don't know if he can dance, but I guess there's no harm in dancing with him," she said. "Take me to him." The woman slipped her arm under Link's and let Link escort her over to the table at which Corny sat.

"Corny?" Link asked.

"Oh, you're back!" Corny said.

"Corny, I'd like you to meet…uh…" Link stammered, suddenly realizing that he had forgotten to ask the woman her name.

"Mandy," the woman said, helping Link out.

"…Mandy," Link said, finishing his sentence.

Corny stood up and took Mandy's hand and kissed it, all without any help from Link. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Corny said. "I love that perfume you're wearing. It's a floral oriental, Bond No. 9, is it not?"

"Why, yes," Mandy said, a smile spreading across her face. "How did you know that?"

"Oh, I know smells, believe me," Corny said with a grin on his face. Mandy laughed warmly.

"Well, do you dance?" Mandy asked.

Corny laughed. "Fairly well, fairly well," he said, with a laugh in his voice.

"What kind of dance?" Mandy asked.

"Any kind, but I do have a particular weakness for ballroom dance," Corny replied.

"Oh!" Mandy said. "Any particular type of ballroom dance?"

"Well, I love the tango," Corny replied.

Mandy smiled. "So do I. Shall we?" she asked.

Corny smiled and escorted her out to the dance floor, and Link proceeded to watch as Corny expertly danced the tango. He knew every step, every sequence, and he pulled them off very gracefully, never taking one false step. Link watched as Mandy, not too shabby herself, perfectly complemented Corny. After the dance was over, Corny escorted Mandy back to the table.

"Thank you so very much for the dance," Corny said to Mandy, a smile on her face.

"No, thank you," Mandy said, smiling. "I haven't danced like that for a long time."

"Well, why don't you sit down?" Corny asked, beckoning to a chair.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'd really truly like to, but I really have to go. Well, it was very nice to meet you," Mandy said warmly.

"It was nice to meet you too," Corny replied.

Mandy, still smiling, turned and walked away. Corny sighed.

"She's got blond hair, hasn't she? She's about five-foot-three?" Corny asked.

"Yeah. How did you know that?" Link asked, surprised.

"You can tell a lot about a woman from the perfume she wears," Corny sighed. He sat back in his chair. "Nice choice, Link. Nice choice."

**I'd just like to say that this is probably my favorite chapter so far, it was so fun to write!**

**Please, please, please review!**


	5. Sunday Morning

It was time to go.

The weekend was over, and Link would be lying if he said that he hadn't enjoyed it. He had had fun, and he had been able to spend the weekend with an old friend. Now, it was time to go, time to take Corny home, time to face the music at the hearing tomorrow. Link didn't want to go back, but he knew that he really had no choice in the matter. After packing, he went to Corny's room and opened the door.

"Corny? You ready to go?" Link asked.

"Yeah," Corny replied, sitting on his bed. "Just do me a favor, will you? Would you go get me a box of cigars? I'd like to have a smoke before we go."

Link nodded and started out the door. As he closed it, he caught a quick glimpse as Corny reached for his nightstand drawer.

Link was in the middle of the hall before he realized what Corny had been reaching for. He dashed back to the room to find Corny, in his suit and tie, loading his .44 Magnum.

"You're back too soon, Link. You didn't get my cigars, did you? Go on, get outta here," Corny said.

"I thought we had a deal, Corny. You said you weren't going to do that," Link said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I lied. I'm a liar. Didn't I tell you that?" Corny asked.

"No, what you told me was that you gave me all the bullets," Link replied.

"I lied," Corny said.

Link, still trying to keep his voice calm, said, "Give me the gun, okay, Corny?"

Corny suddenly swung around, turned the gun on Link, and cocked it.

"What are you doing, Corny?" Link asked, panic creeping into his voice.

"I'm gonna kill you, too. Your life's finished anyway. Your friend Bruce is gonna sing like a canary Monday, and so are you. And once you've sung, Link, your life won't be worth anything."

"I'd have to disagree with you, Corny," Link replied.

"You're in no position to disagree with me, Link. I've got a loaded .44 Magnum. What've you got? You've got pimples. I'm gonna shoot you, Link, because I can't stand the thought of you SELLING OUT!" Corny yelled, still pointing the gun at Link.

Link, suddenly firm, said, "Give me the gun right now, Corny."

"What? You giving me an ultimatum?" Corny asked.

"Yes," Link replied.

"I give the ultimatums around here!" Corny roared.

"All right, I'm sorry, Corny," Link said.

"Sorry. Of course you're sorry. You break my heart, Link. You're standing up to me, not because it makes you feel important, but because you really care. I don't know whether to shoot you or adopt you."

"Not much of a choice, is it?" Link asked.

"Oh, don't get cute now, Link. It's too late for that," Corny replied as he turned the gun back to his head.

"No! Corny, you don't want to do this. You're just in a slump right now, you're just going through a painful time," Link said.

"Pain? What the hell do you know about pain? You don't know pain! You don't know the first damn thing about pain!" Corny yelled.

Link, still trying to stay calm, said, "Just give the gun, all right, Corny?"

Corny, with the gun still pointed to his head, said, "Link, you get outta here now. Just turn around and walk out of here. I'm gonna do this no matter what you do."

Instead, Link lunged at Corny and knocked Corny over, grabbing for the gun.

"Get off of me, damn it!" Corny yelled.

"Why? So you can blow your brains all over the walls? You've got a life to live, Corny. Why don't you stop feeling sorry for yourself and live it?" Link yelled, while still trying to take the gun from Corny.

"Life? I don't have a life anymore! I went to Vietnam, I came home blind! I can't see a thing anymore, all I see now is darkness! I can't work anymore! Everybody treats me like a baby! I lost the love of my life! I don't have a life, Link!" Corny yelled.

Link didn't speak as he still grappled with Corny for the gun. Eventually reaching the hand that held the gun, Link bit down on the hand that held the gun, causing Corny to yell and drop the gun.

Acting quickly, Link grabbed the gun, jumped up, walked over to a window, opened it, and threw the gun out the window. He turned around to see Corny, still lying on the floor.

"You got rid of it, didn't you?" Corny asked.

"Yes," Link replied.

Corny nodded. "Good for you, Link. You've proven yourself a man," he said.

Link, still trying to catch his breath, said, "You ready to go, Corny?"

Corny, without saying a word, nodded.

Later that day, a dark car pulled up in front of the Willow Creek School for boys. Link sat in the car for a while, then looked over at Corny, who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Link asked.

"I think I'll stay here overnight. What time is the hearing tomorrow?" Corny asked.

"Ten o'clock," Link replied.

Corny nodded. "I'll be there," he said.


	6. The Hearing

**Well, ****here it ****is,**** the chapter I've been looking forward to writing most**

**By the way, the speech in this chapter is very much inspired by the speech Al ****Pacino**** gives in Scent of a Woman. As I said at the beginning of this story, I don't own this movie.**

Link walked into the huge auditorium of the Willow Creek School for boys. It was vast, and it was completely full, every single one of the seats occupied by a student, waiting to see what would happen, who had desecrated the main hall of the school, what the punishment would be, which of the boys, Link or Bruce, would send the perpetrators to the slaughtering block.

On the stage sat two tables, each with two mikes on them. Both tables pointed to a podium, at which the dean stood. The podium stood right beneath the coat of arms that was the school's seal. The dean stood there, looking very tall and foreboding as Link walked up to one of the tables and sat down behind one of the mikes.

A few seconds later, Bruce and his father walked in. One could tell just by looking at Bruce's father that he was a very successful man, very, very well off. He just had that air about him, and he had a very haughty, holier-than-thou attitude. He walked with his nose in the air as he and Bruce walked up to the other table and took their seats.

As soon as they had sat down, the dean said, "Well, now that both of our witnesses are here, we can now start the hearing." Seeing that there was nobody sitting next to Link, the dean said, "Mr. Larkin, do you have anybody to help defend you?"

"No, dean Walters," Link said. However, as soon as he had said that, he heard a familiar voice boom from the doors of the auditorium, "Yes, you have, Link!"

Link turned to see Corny, in his army dress uniform, hurriedly making his way toward the stage, with the help of his chauffeur. He climbed the stairs and sat next to Link.

"Excuse me, sir, but who are you?" dean Walters asked.

"I am former Lieutenant Colonel Corny Collins, U.S. Army. I am a friend of Link's family, and I am defending Link today because neither his mother nor father could come today," Corny replied.

The dean nodded approvingly, then said, "The reason this hearing is being held today is because some of the young men in our school decided that our great Willow Valley main hall needed a new paint job and took it upon themselves to give it one. We have called two witnesses, whom we believe to have seen those that have desecrated this fine building. We will hear testimonies from both of them, then our disciplinary council will decide what will be done about the guilty parties." The dean then pointed at Bruce. "We will start with Mr. Hamilton here. Mr. Hamilton, what were your whereabouts on the evening of November 18?"

Bruce swallowed, then said, "I was talking with some friends under some trees near the main hall."

"And could you see the part of the building that was defaced from where you were standing?"

"Yes, sir," Bruce answered.

"Did you happen to see three of your fellow students desecrating the building?"

Bruce hesitated for a couple of seconds, but after his father gave him a stern look, he answered, "Yes, sir, I did."

"And would you be able to identify the three students that you saw?"

Bruce paused for a couple of seconds, then managed to stammer out, "W-Well, sir, I don't have the best vision in the world, and I didn't have my g-g-glasses on at the moment-"

The dean's voice suddenly got very angry, and he said, "Would you be able to identify the three students that desecrated this building?"

Bruce suddenly got even more frightened, and he stammered, "W-W-Well, sir, like I said, I can't be sure, but it might have been Jim Thomson, Tom Peters, and Victor Jameson."

The dean looked at Bruce for a few more seconds, then turned to Link and said, "Maybe you can help us out, Mr. Larkin. Were you able to see the main hall on the night that it was defaced?"

Link nodded. "Yes," he answered, wondering why Corny hadn't said a word throughout this whole thing.

"Did you see any students desecrating the building?"

Link nodded again. "Yes, sir."

"And could you identify them?"

"Yes, I could," Link replied.

"Will you?" the dean asked.

"No, sir, I won't," Link replied.

"And why not, Mr. Larkin?" the dean asked.

"Because I may be many things, sir, but I'm not a canary," Link replied.

The dean suddenly got very angry and said, "Mr. Larkin, you are just as bad as the boys that desecrated this building. You are no longer worthy to be called a Willow Creek man. You are a shady, conniving young boy, and you are a cover-up artist and a liar."

"But he's not a snitch!" Corny suddenly said, in a very loud, firm voice that made Link jump and stare at Corny.

The dean, surprised, looked at Corny and said, "Excuse me?"

Corny replied, "No, I don't think I will excuse you. This is such a crock of shit."

The dean firmly said, "Mr. Collins, you will watch your language in here. You are in the Willow Creek school now, not a barracks." Turning to Link again, the dean said, "Mr. Larkin, I will give you one final opportunity to speak up."

Before Link could say anything, Corny burst out, "He doesn't want it. He doesn't need to be labeled, "still worthy of being a Willow Creek man." What the hell is that? What the hell is your motto here? 'Boys, inform on your classmates, save your hide. Anything short of that we're gonna burn you at the stake?' Well, dean Walters and all you boys, let me tell you something. When the shit hits the fan, some guys run and some guys stay. Here's Link, facing the fire, and here's Bruce, hiding in his daddy's pocket. And what are you gonna do? You're gonna reward Bruce and crucify Link!"

The dean, getting angry, said, "Are you finished, Mr. Collins?"

Corny, getting angrier and angrier with every word, said, "No, I'm just getting warmed up! Now, I don't know who went to this school, John F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Charles Dickens, whoever. Their spirit is dead; if they ever had one, it's gone. All you're doing is building a rat ship, a sea-going vessel for snitches. And if you think you're preparing these boys for manhood, you'd better think again, because I say you're killing the very spirit this school says it instills! What a sham! I mean, the only good man in this whole place is the one sitting next to me. And I say this boy's soul is intact. It's non-negotiable. I know because you, dean Walters, offered to buy it. Only Link wasn't selling!"

The dean, thoroughly angry now, yelled, "Mr. Collins, you are out of order!"

Corny roared back, "Out of order, I'll show you out of order! You don't know what out of order is, Mr. Walters! I'd show you but I'm too old, I'm too fucking blind, but I tell you, if I were the man I were five years ago, I'd take a flame thrower to this place! Out of order, who the hell do you think you're talking to? I've been around! There was a time that I could see, and I have seen, boys younger than these, their legs torn off, their arms ripped out. But there is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit, there's no prosthetic for that. You think you're just sending this boy back to Baltimore with his tail between his legs, but I say you're destroying his soul! And why? Because he's not a Willow Creek man! Willow Creek men, you hurt this boy, you're gonna be Willow Creek bums, the whole lot of you. And Jim, Tom, Victor, wherever you are, fuck you too!"

The dean, shaking with anger, yelled, "Stand down, Mr. Collins!"

Corny yelled back, "I'm not finished yet! Now, when I came in here, I heard these words, 'cradle of leadership.' Well, when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And it has fallen here! Makers of men, creators of leaders, be careful of the kind of leaders you're producing here. I don't know if Link's silence here today is right or wrong, I'm no judge or jury. But I can tell you this: he won't sell anybody out to buy his future! And that, my friends, is called integrity, it's called courage. That's the stuff leaders should be made of." Corny paused for a second, caught his breath, cooled down a little bit, then started again, "Now, I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was, but I never took it because it was too damn hard! Now, here's Link, he's come to the crossroads. He's taken the right path. It's a path with principle that leads to character. Let this boy continue on his journey. Council, you hold this boy's future in your hands. Don't destroy it, embrace it! It's a great future, and it'll make you proud one day, I promise you."

Corny finally sat down, looked over at Link, and smiled.

"Thank you," Link whispered.

"No problem," Corny replied.

The council started deliberating for what seemed like forever. When they were finally done, the head of the council walked up to the stage and said, "We find Jim Thomson, Tom Peters, and Victor Jameson guilty of desecrating the main hall, and recommend that they be suspended from the school for a period of a week. We have something else we'd like to add, however. We think that Mr. Larkin has displayed a great amount of moral character, and we recommend that he be rewarded and an honorable mention be put in his records. Mr. Hamilton, on the other hand, shall receive no reward for putting the finger on his friends, and deserves no honorable mention in his records."

After the hearing was over, Link and Corny walked out of the main hall. Corny was barraged by a huge throng of boys, wanting to shake his hand. After making their way through the crowd, Jane Wallace, a professor of history at the school, walked up to Corny and shook his hand.

"Mr. Collins, I'd just like to tell you how much I enjoyed your speech," Wallace said.

"Well, thank you," Corny replied. Corny sniffed and said, "That's a nice shampoo you're wearing. That's lavender, is it not?"

Wallace smiled and said, "Why, yes. How did you know that?"

Corny smiled and said, "I know scents, believe me."

After Wallace left, Corny grinned at Link and said, "I still got it."

Link laughed and said, "You sure have."

**Well, the story's over! This is actually one of my favorite stories that I've written, and I hope those of you that have been reading it have enjoyed it too!**


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